What is Human Resources Management (HRM), and why is it important to your business? Human resources are the people that make up your workforce—from the largest corporation to the smallest business or nonprofit organization. They are the engine that power your ability to invent things, produce things, fix things, sell things, or deliver services. Humans bring much of the value to your enterprise.

When your team is strong, healthy, and efficient, you can stretch to reach your goals. When you must spend a lot of time putting out fires, untangling messes, or managing high employee turnover, you don’t have the time or resources to fulfill your core mission. Chronic personnel issues can serve as a slow bleed for your bottom line; the loss of a key employee or two can be like a hemorrhage as you scramble to recruit, interview, hire, and train replacements.

This is why Human Resources Management can make a difference to your profitability. Human Resources programs help create organizational structure, develop job descriptions, maintain employee manuals, manage employee benefits packages, conduct performance reviews, manage training and professional development opportunities, ensure employee satisfaction and motivation, address discrimination and harassment issues, and ensure businesses are following employment law. They help everyone understand roles, responsibilities, performance expectations, and what to do if there’s a problem.

It’s a lot. Many small organizations don’t have the time, energy, or expertise to create and maintain a dedicated human resources program, and they may not have the resources to hire a dedicated staff person. But that doesn’t mean they should turn a blind eye. Besides protecting you from legal exposure, I believe HRM is a key ingredient to small business success.

Over the next several months we will share a series of short articles that can help you think about Human Resources Management issues in your small business or nonprofit. They will focus on a topic, introduce a few ideas, and provide resources for digging deeper. 2018 is a good year to build a Human Resources Management program that will help you survive and thrive for years to come!

Need some help right now? Call 385-9963, or email me at lisa(at)clarityei.com to set up a conversation.